May 2013
2 posts
8 tags
4 tags
February 2013
2 posts
1 tag
The B Word
Botox. Long associated with aging housewives and frozen facial expressions (see above), this controversial little toxin is becoming a staple of the beauty regimen for many women. Although maligned in the media, many women (including those you would not expect) are turning to these injections to treat those fine lines that belie years of worry and sun damage. After seeing a Living Social...
8 tags
Be a Chai Momma, Don't be a Dry Momma.
Check check check it out!! I got the chance to guest blog on the amazing ChaiMommas.com! Click here…
Image: Mother Breast-feeding her Baby, by Louis Fleckenstein, c. 1900.
In chatting with my lovely friends over at chaimommas.com, I found out that dry skin is quite the issue for breast-feeding mothers. I’ve never heard of this phenomenon before but I have made it my mission...
November 2012
4 posts
6 tags
It's OK to be a steamster.
Recently, I was indulging in one of my favorite pastimes, sitting in the steam room in the Korean spa (not with these little munchkins, although it would have made the experience far cuter). I love it for many reasons, including the post-steam clarity and glow of my skin and feeling like I’m back in the womb. However, I realized that I did not know the specific reasons on why steaming...
3 tags
Friends! Introducing Luvocracy, a great new social network where you can recommend/get ideas/buy anything on the internet with one simple click from friends and people you trust. I already set up my account and all the products that I LUV are in one easy spot to see and get for yoself. Click here to get your invite and enjoy!
5 tags
Before you treat yoself… pop onto Beautypedia, the comprehensive, no B.S. Wikipedia meets Consumer Reports of beauty products. Paula Begoun aka the Cosmetics Cop, provides unbiased, scientifically accurate, consumer savvy ratings on every brand and product under the sun. Not on my watch will my readers be duped into buying $100,000,000 cream made from diamonds, moondust, and lint.
(Photo...
5 tags
Sir Bumps-a-Lot.
I like smooth arms and I cannot lie. Those other brothers can’t deny.
That’s as far as I will get into any rap career.. but I will wax poetic on getting smooth arms ie getting rid of those pesky bumps on the back of your arms. You call them a nuisance and I call them keratosis pilaris. Plaguing many a patient and friend (including yours truly), I’ve been asked for years on advice on...
October 2012
3 posts
10 tags
Take a Stand!
We cannot just sit by quietly as fall and its drop in humidity launches a sneak attack on our skin, causing it to riot and peel off our faces in an atrocious manner. NO! It is not acceptable for us to be walking around with visible flakes of dry skin on our glorious faces, making it rough and ruining our glow. We cannot live this way! Take a stand with me and fight against the...
7 tags
Fall is upon us yet again. Besides gourds and turning up the collar of my favorite winter coat (R.I.P. MJ), I am psyched to try out these hot fall beauty trends. Simple to try, yet fashion forward, here’s a way to pump up your fall look. Personally, can’t wait to rock the slicked back pony with bold brows and a perfect merlot/oxblood lip. HAWT.
5 tags
Treat yo self… to Fresh Sugar Lip Treament, $22.50. One of my favorite daily indulgences, it’s like smearing your lips with a stick of butter, only it smells ah-mazing and has SPF. Totally worth it.
(Photo credit: PBS)
September 2012
10 posts
7 tags
Don't Take Back Handed Compliments.
The oft forgotten region, the back of your hands, are the first to go. Most exposed and vulnerable to the destructive power of UV-A rays, it is not thought about until its much too late. And you don’t want to spend your golden years wearing motorcycle gloves covering them up (see Madonna). Nope, not a good look for any occasion.
The brown spots often spotted on the hands of many a...
11 tags
Protecting your investment.
I can’t say that I haven’t been in this position before (see above). Growing up in California, they tell you the sun is your friend. But that was a bold faced lie. The sun is NOT a friend to your beautiful skin and I am here to tell you why and what you can do about it.
You may crave the golden brown baked look for the summer, but the harmful UV-B and UV-A rays...
6 tags
Treat yo self… to BIG by Lush, $24.95. This all-natural shampoo is the definitive cure for limp, flat hair, making it instantaneously big, luscious, and sexy, just like our favorite country diva. It worked so well, it gave me an extra bounce in my step, as well as in my hair. Mmmmhmmm, werq it.
tn223qy18 asked: Hi, Read about your blog on Birchbox. Have you ever heard of and/or used Acure Organics on your face? I dont know if these all natural ingredients really help fight aging. Is putting argon oil on my face really going to plump up my smile lines and crows feet? Or is there something to be said for the more "clinical" stuff a la Peter Thomas Roth or Perricone MD? Please help!!! PS I'm...
nmartin55 asked: Hey hey! I love your blog! I just stumbled upon it while reading through the Birchbox blog last night and haven't stopped reading. I'm intrigued by your posts on squalene and would like to try it out, but the links to amazon aren't working. Could you tell me which brand you're using? Thanks. It really is so great to find a blog that offers real, unbiased, sophisticated...
4 tags
If You Got It, Flaunt It.
(As featured on Birchbox’s fabulous blog. !!!. For the rest of the series, go here.)
Now that we’ve gone great lengths to perfect your natural, God-given skin, what now? Put it down. Just put down the MAC compact foundation or Covergirl foundation bottle and back away slowly. Don’t hide your gorgeous, stunning flawless skin, flaunt it!
I can count on...
5 tags
The Secret to Getting Glowing Skin: Guest Blogger
birchbox:
Dermatologist-in-training and all around cool girl blogger Aegean Chan is the savvy mind behind super-skincare blog Aegmora. Chan educates her readers with particularly informative posts that tie together her science background and her extensive experience with beauty products. We love that she demystifies everything from familiar active ingredients like Benzoyl Peroxide to the newest...
Making the moist of it.
(As featured today on Birchbox’s fabulous blog. !!!.)
Moist. When it stands alone, that word makes many a man, woman, and child squirm. However, it is what makes this cake melt in your mouth and your baby soft skin divine to the touch. So what exactly makes your skin so silky soft and what does it need to stay that way?
Fundamentally, the little molecule that could,...
6 tags
A Fine Balance.
(As featured today on Birchbox’s fabulous blog. !!!.)
Many do not realize that cleansing is a delicate balancing act, yet also the foundation of great skin. Your skin, although tough enough to withstand blistering heat, pelting sleet, and withering looks from haters, is actually a microcosm of cells and structural elements that require a very specific environment to thrive. Just...
August 2012
3 posts
Our New Favorite DIT (Dermatologist-in-Training):...
birchbox:
Aegean Chan: soon-to-be dermatologist, blogger, and all-around cool girl. Photo: Refinery29 and Aegmora.
Aegean Chan is a powerhouse—not only is she a dermatologist-in-training (with a history of humanitarian work), she’s behind one of our must-read blogs and was selected by Refinery 29 as one of the 30 under 30 - Rising Stars in NY this June. Others on the list include totally...
4 tags
Treat yo self… to divalicious Tatcha Aburatorigami gold leaf blotting papers. Lord knows we all need something to take the shine away and although I prefer toilet paper (readily available, absorbent, and economical), we all need a little something to remind us of the goddess inside on these sticky summer days.
(photo credit: John Bentham)
3 tags
Bump it good.
I bet a kitty fist bump is WAY cuter than the angry red bumps in your armpits. With the glorious summer heat, I have gotten many a cry for help for these pesky things that pop up after shaving and that keep your arms glued to your sides, even while jammin’ at a summer concert.
Another name for this unsightly phenomenon is underarm folliculitis. Folliculitis can occur anywhere on the...
July 2012
9 posts
“Be humble, for you are made of earth.
Be noble, for you are made of stars”
– Serbian Proverb
Wise words.
4 tags
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Nuts for Coconuts?
Have you heard the news? There’s a hundred uses for coconut oil, all of which end up making you younger, richer, and more good-looking. I never buy into hype, but after the millionth time someone told me I should be using the stuff and finding myself nearly buying a jar from Trader Joe’s, I figured I should launch a coco-vestigation of my own.
The anti-bacterial, anti-fungal,...
3 tags
Treat yo self… To Melvita Rose Floral Water, $22. When I found this in my Birchbox, I thought ‘why would I need old lady spritzer?’ Oh boy, was I mistaken.. It’s AMAZINGLY refreshing after a 14 hour shift in the hospital. After a mist temples and neck, I felt like a new woman. A must for my jet-setting, bossy divas!
matcharamen asked: Hi! What are some safe acne/spot treatments for pregnancy?
4 tags
A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future.
Although this blanket statement by Coco Chanel may not necessarily hold true, I think the mechanics of a good perfume is good know for a discerning lady such as yourself. Don’t you hate it when you spend a small fortune on a bottle of sweet elixir that evaporates as soon as it dries on your skin? How are you supposed to attract that special someone without enhanced pheremones?
Perfume is...
Brazilian Artist Trying to Catalog Every Human...
birchbox:
A selection of portraits from the Humanae project. (Photo: Styleite.com)
We eagerly wait for Pantone’s color forecasts every year to start raving about the “It” colors of the season (here’s to you, Tangerine Tango). The company’s bread-and-butter, however, is their famed universal color matching system. Now Brazilian-born artist Angelica Dass is using the Pantone shading system in...
4 tags
Treat yo self… to a baby Vaseline, $1.39. Also known as Vaseline Lip Therapy, it’s pretty much an adorable, purse friendly jar of cure-all petroleum jelly. Although I don’t love it for the lips, it’s perfect for those random dry, itchy, flaky rashes that are just crying out for a little hydration and protection from the elements. I never leave home without...
Newsroom update!
The verdict on squalene is out! After many weeks of careful deliberation and experimentation, I have determined that squalene is as useful, versatile and vital to your medicine cabinet as I have heard it is.
I tried it on a variety of zits, dried out zits, scabs, and dry spots and it instantly smoothed them out, as well as accelerated their healing. Maybe it was...
June 2012
10 posts
3 tags
To Tone or Not to Tone. That is the question.
Sometimes toning is undeniably a good thing (check out those arms!). But when it comes to your face, the use and necessity of toner seems like a heavily marketed ploy by the beauty and/or cotton ball industry. Is that middle step in those 3-step magical skin perfecting sets really all it’s cracked up to be? Does our skin really need all that toning, prepping, smoothing, and pH...
4 tags
“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
– Coco Chanel
4 tags
Treat yo self… With Bisous de Provence Lavender triple milled soap from Trader Joe’s, $3.50. Ain’t nothing better than a shower filled with the luxurious scent of lavender at the end of a long day. This bar is filled with lavender husk to slough off that dead skin, leaving you baby soft and smelling like a field of wild flowers. It’s really the...
2 tags
CRAY.
So grateful to be recognized in Refinery 29’s rockstar line-up of 30 under 30!! Had a grand ‘ol time celebrating on the rooftop of the James Hotel with both old and new friends. Thank you all for reading! Will keep the lil nuggets of beauty do’s, don’ts, shams, and pearls a-coming.. xo
5 tags
Treat yo self… to the industry’s best multipurpose highlighter, Nars Copacabana stick, $39. A make up artist told me this was the one item she could not live without.. it works on every skin tone and gives that healthy glow without that body glitter effect. Dab it on the brow bone, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, philtrum of the lip, and the prominence of the chin....
2 tags
The dry and itchy desert of eczema
Do you ever find yourself praying like a desert nomad for your eczema to go away? It’s a chronic, nagging disease that plagues many people I know and one friend even resorted to using lard to find some relief (you know who you are). Although a good dermatologist is key to battling this malady, a basic understanding of what the heck is going on will help you care for and...
3 tags
Treat yo self… to Lush’s Godiva solid shampoo bar, $10.95. It smells deee-vine, leaves your hair soft and glossy, and great for travel. If you want to double treat yo self, finish off your pampering with a cup of intoxicatingly fragrant jasmine tea.
1 tag
Why so hyphy about eye cream?
“After the age of 26, every woman should be using an eye cream.” I hear this guilt trip every few months and I’ve always wondered why. Eye cream seems like extra expensive moisturizer that comes in a very teeny tiny jar and is just another unnecessary product to put on your face. So I did a little beauty myth-busting…
Eye creams are just elegant moisturizers,...
May 2012
6 posts
3 tags
Treat yo self… to Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1, $7, in one of many delectable flavors (pear is my personal favorite). I am a lip balm junkie and have tried everything (Chapstick, Soft Lips, Burt’s Bees, Rosebud Salve, etc etc) and I am hooked on Kiehl’s lip balm like a baby beauty queen is to Go Go juice.
2 tags
“The world is full of magic things, patiently...
This quote from W.B. Yeats so appropriately describes a new magical substance I just discovered that moisturizes and smooths over the nastiest blemishes, allowing you to cover them up for a flawless finish. While on the photo shoot for Refinery29’s 30 under 30 (!!!), the very talented make up artist let me in on her little secret for making people look awesome despite nature’s...
2 tags
Treat yo-self and protect yo gorgeous face with Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50+. Light as air, doesn’t clog your pores, and won’t leave your face looking like someone just fried bacon on it. Mix it with your favorite make-up! You can be both sun smart AND fabulous, just like vintage Barbie.
2 tags
Marley's Melanoma
A friend who had seen the recent documentary on the life of Bob Marley (quite aptly, on April 20th) brought to my attention that this icon died at the age of 36 from the metastatic spread of a melanoma under his toenail. This is tragic and curious for several reasons: 1) Most people assume he died from an overdose of some variety and 2) Dark skinned people can get melanomas?
Yup. They can....
2 tags
From Russia, With Love.
Treat yo self… to pure glamour and visual candy from up and coming Russian designer, Ulyana Sergeenko.
2 tags
Haiti, mwen renmen ou.
Been in Haiti for the last 8 days (thus explaining the long hiatus), working with Healing Haiti. It was an amazing experience. Despite being in the midst of such need, the beaming smiles and kisses of the beautiful children will stay with me, motivating me to work and contribute to building Haiti back better.
But, of course, while I was there, I interviewed a few of the beautiful Haitian...
April 2012
6 posts
2 tags
